Exelon refueling outage complete

CORDOVA — Exelon Generation operators returned Quad Cities Generating Station Unit 1 to full power Sunday, successfully completing a scheduled refueling outage at the nuclear plant that began in late March.

During the outage, more than 1,600 skilled workers from local unions worked alongside station employees to perform inspections and maintenance activities at the facility north of Cordova that cannot be completed while the reactor is online. Many of the additional workers lodged in area hotels, shopped in local stores and patronized nearby restaurants, providing a significant and welcome economic boost to the Quad Cities region.

“Without passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act last year, this would have been the last Unit 1 refueling outage at Quad Cities Station,” said Bill Phillips, Business Representative for Local Union 15. “Now that the bill has been signed into law, we expect these good-paying jobs to be around for another decade, supporting local businesses and generating millions of dollars for Illinois’ economy.”

During the outage, workers performed more than 10,000 detailed inspections, maintenance activities and equipment upgrades. Exelon Generation invests millions of dollars each year to upgrade its nuclear plants, installing state-of-the-art equipment and enhancing components to make the facilities even safer and more efficient.